| Issac Smith with his piece at the 4th Annual Northwest Ohio Community Art Exhibition. (Photos: Enoch Wu/Sentinel-Tribune) |
For the fourth summer, the School of Art at Bowling Green State University has thrown its doors open to
community artists.
The Northwest Ohio Community Art Exhibition attracted 82 artists, from avocational painters to
professionals, contributing more than 200 works.
The show is on exhibit Thursday from noon to 4, and 5 to 8 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday, noon to
4 p.m.
Young artists came away with top prizes announced at Friday’s reception.
Isaac Smith, a June graduate from Bowling Green High School, earned best of show honors for his graphite
drawing "Florentine Violinist."
Smith, who is heading to the Kendall School of Art and Design of Ferris University in fall, said the
drawing was inspired by a violinist he heard playing in Florence, Italy during a people-to-people
foreign exchange program. He was attracted to the scene because it showed an aspect of culture not often
seen.
He snapped a photograph of the violinist allowing him to recreate in meticulous detail the scene.
While other young artists may explore more adventurous and cutting edge approaches to art, Smith said
"I feel like I’m rebelling by sticking to traditional modes."
Another traditionalist, Camille Isaacs, who will be a senior art major at BGSU in fall, took the top
prize for two-dimensional art for her self-portrait "Glowing."
| Janealla Smalley, an artist from Findlay browses a selction of pieces at the 4th Annual Northwest Ohio Community Art Exhibition Friday. |
Isaacs entered the show at the urging of her mother Beth Genson, who also has work on display.
"I just wanted to portray vulnerability," Isaacs said of the oil painting. She also said she
wanted to challenge herself to paint wet hair, with its distinct, shiny strands.
As an Elmwood high school student, Isaacs expected she’d become a pharmacist "for the money."
Going into art "was kind of scary," she said. "When I came to visit here I was kind of
intimidated" by the quality of student work.
But her mother, also a graduate of the School of Art, encouraged her to study art, and Isaacs in turn
inspired her mother to start painting again.
Other artists honored at the show were:
• Nicole Szparagowski, best young artist.
• Shawn Lopez, best three-dimensional art.
• Kaitlyn Krueger, Ethnic Cultural Arts Program Award.
• Pattijo Weymer, second place two-dimensional art, and Jessica Davis, second place three-dimensional
art.
• Erin Keaton, Andrew Kuebeck, George Clemans and Kara Fallon, all honorable mentions.
Krueger, who attends Liberty Center schools, said for her painting "Lexis and the Lionfish" she
first wanted to paint the fish and then was inspired to incorporate a portrait of her best friend’s
little sister Lexis, one of the only biracial children in the K-12 school.
Krueger said she was pleased to be included in the NOWOH show. "There’s a lot of talent."
| Attendees socialize among a selction of pieces at the 4th Annual Northwest Ohio Community Art Exhibition Friday. |
The event keeps getting larger, said Jacqueline Nathan, director of the BGSU galleries.
Not only does it attract more artists, but it’s also attracting more support and sponsors to help fund
the $1,250 in prize money.
This year’s show attracted artists from 10 Northwest Ohio counties. Artists could submit three works
each. All works submitted are exhibited, with a panel of judges – Russ Revock and Hans Ruebel, this year
– selecting the prize winners.
"I like it because it gives community artists a chance to show their work in a professional gallery
and interact with artists of all different levels of training," Nathan said. Even professional
artists "can get ideas from people who are Sunday artists."
The future for the event looks bright, she added. "We’d like to keep it going."
